Tomatoes, eggplant and peppers are members of the nightshade family. There’s something a bit sexy about those nightshades; maybe it’s the deadly yet beautiful part …. Tomatoes are, in fact, a fruit, but their affinity for other savory ingredients means that they are usually classed as a vegetable. Fruit or vegetable, they are a rock-solid part of summer down-home comfort.

Fresh tomatoes are only ever good in summer. There is nothing as wonderful as the full flavor of a garden-ripe tomato — and there is nothing as sad and disappointing as the insipid, lifeless flavor of a tennis ball-like tomato held in cold storage and shipped in a case from the other side of the world. I don’t eat those atrocities and strongly suggest that you don’t either. So, when it’s tomato season, I vigorously support eating those glorious ripe ones as often as possible.

Try to find heirloom tomatoes for the best flavor. Heirloom tomatoes are grown from non-hybrid, open-pollinated seeds, and are the varieties that have been passed down through the generations by farmers and gardeners around the world. If you cannot find heirloom tomatoes, use a ripe tomato from your garden, a good produce market or a farmers market.

In the smothering heat of summer, a dish with the ability to be served at room temperature is a welcome addition to the dinner table. Tomato Pie is an old-school Southern summer staple that sets an excellent stage for garden-ripe tomatoes. A hearty slice of Tomato Pie is wonderfully appropriate for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Tart, winey sliced tomatoes are heartily seasoned with salt and pepper, and enhanced with a generous handful of freshly chopped herbs. The combination is bound with mayonnaise and cheese, then baked in a tender, buttery crust. The combination of tomatoes with freshly chopped herbs is a testament to my philosophy of simple recipes executed with the best possible ingredients. It is mouthwatering summer goodness.

Georgia-born, French-trained Chef Virginia Willis has cooked lapin Normandie with Julia Child in France, prepared lunch for President Clinton and harvested capers in the shadow of a smoldering volcano in Sicily, but it all started in her grandmother’s country kitchen. A Southern food authority, she is the author of Bon Appétit, Y’all and Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, among others. Follow her continuing exploits at VirginiaWillis.com.

Guess I am just stupid, but your test for robots is really screwy! There are no words only numbers. one could guess at your images for hours. Apparently you don't want to share stuff in the first place…just say so.

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